During the month of May, I spent a lot of time reading different genres of fiction to widen my perspective as a fiction writer. However, I was able to get out some time to study self-help, productivity, and spiritual books to ensure that I never lost track of what I was focused on attaining, and that is, becoming the ideal person that I would like to become. The books that I read in May were as enlightening as they were inspirational, and as a result, I would highly recommend that you look at the books to tap from the wealth of knowledge that I could sift out of them.

1.      SECRETS OF THE MILLIONAIRE MIND BY T HARV EKER

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This was the first book on finances and wealth creation that I read in a while. The book is written by a man who had made his fortune by opening a line of fitness stores and it has quite a few tips on wealth making and the difference in mindset between those that make and properly manage their wealth and those that do not.

The first thing that the author mentions is something that he refers to as a ‘money blueprint’. Part one of the book is fully dedicated to the analysis of this concept, which, in essence, can be explained as the thought and behaviours that we have around money which are formed by our childhood experiences, particularly in line with what our parents’ attitude towards money was. Some people, depending on their childhood experiences, usually ended up patterning their attitudes towards money similar to that of their parents, while some revolted against it. He spends his time explaining it and then stating, with examples, that no matter what money blueprint anyone may have, it can be changed.

Part two of the book deals with ‘wealth files’, in which he lists seventeen ways that rich people think and act differently from poor and middle-class people. Some of the seventeen points which resonated with me are:

· Rich people choose to get paid based on results. Poor people choose to get paid based on time.

· Rich people manage their money well. Poor people mismanage their money well.

· Rich people constantly learn and grow. Poor people think they already know.

· Rich people act in spite of fear. Poor people let fear stop them.

· Rich people focus on opportunities. Poor people focus on obstacles.

Some of the other tips that I got from the book are:

· Without passive income, you can never be free.

· The only time you are actually growing is when you are uncomfortable.

· Training and managing your mind is the most important skill you could ever own, in terms of both happiness and success.

· The secret to success is not to try to avoid or get rid of or shrink from your problems; the secret is to grow yourself so that you are bigger than any problem.

· If you want to get paid the best, you have to be the best.

Whilst the book had a vast array of knowledge to share, I have to say that I found some issues with it. For instance, I found that several parts of his text had a lot of new-age religion teachings that had to do with ‘The Secret’ sort of manifestation, aligning your vibrations with the universe, and other pseudo-science. In fact, each of the chapters ended with affirmations and after some time, I got tired of seeing the instruction to repeat “I have a millionaire mind!” repeatedly. There were also weird instructions such as the one to pick stray money off the road and shout, “Thank you, universe, for sending me money” and stuff like that and I found it to be a wee bit hilarious.

Also, I felt that there was just too much self-promotion in the book. Sure, a bit of self-promotion is not bad, but in each chapter, it appeared he found his way to keep hounding the fact that I could only get more if I registered for his courses and that what was written in the book was just the tip of the iceberg.

All in all, I would recommend it for those that are fresh in their study of books on finances and such. It does not have as much depth as some other books out there do, but it has bits of advice that could change the mindsets of some people out there.

2.      THE WORK/LIFE BALANCE MYTH BY DAVID J MCNEFF

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This book debunks the saying that life is divided into only work and life and lists seven aspects of our lives or slices that we all need to focus on to achieve harmony and balance in our lives.

The seven slices which the author lists are: family, professional, personal, physical, intellectual, emotional, and spiritual slices and the author lists practical ways how to balance these slices plus real-life examples and stories of how other people were able to achieve the same in their lives.

The author promises that if one could learn how to make use of what he refers to as ‘the seven slice method’, while it would not make the stressful elements of one’s life vanish, it will improve the ability of a person to manage such stressful situations.

Furthermore, the author guarantees that by giving adequate focus to all the aforementioned seven aspects of one’s life, one would be able to achieve happiness and success in one’s life.

Some tips that I got from the book were:

· When you have a sense of harmony, your daily life feels more manageable, and you enjoy it more.

· Many take their bodies for granted, yet the state of our body’s health has a direct impact on every other aspect of our lives. After all, the body is the vehicle that carries you in each slice of your life.

· We should check in with our emotions every once in a while for our own benefit, given how easy it is to overlook them, put them aside, and then wait for the day they either implode or explode.

· Slowing down to self-access in a real and tangible way allows you to pay attention to yourself.

· Agreeing to too many requests comes with a price - by devoting so much time to others, you may lose a sense of balance in your life. You must be able to say when enough is enough, and that starts with effectively managing time and setting boundaries.

It was a good book and I recommend it to all that are looking towards being productive even as they do all that they need in order to ensure that they do not put every other thing on the line just so as to achiev career success. By the time I was done with the book, I realised I needed to invest more in my spiritual and physical life, checking what I was eating and making sure that I carved out enough time to invest in my faith. And I was able to also use the book as a guide to teaching some others about the benefits of ensuring that all the aspects of their lives were properly balanced as well.

3.      WHEN GOD DOESN’T MAKE SENSE BY DR JAMES DOBSON

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This was the book that was studied in the book club I manage this month. It is by a Christian writer who examines what goes on when it feels as though God has forsaken us as Christians and how we can hold on to our faith during periods of pain and distress as Christians. It was a really insightful book that helped me discern a lot of spiritual things.

According to the author, almost every Christian, at some stage in life, reaches the betrayal barrier, in which it seems that the Lord has forsaken us when we are in moments of crisis and pain. He states it is not wrong to try to discern the reason why the Lord lets us pass through such hard times, but that we should have it in mind that the ways of the Lord are unsearchable and past finding out, and hence, we should lean not on our own understanding in trying to discern the ways of the Lord.

The author also states that trial and suffering are part of the human condition and that they can be essential for the development of character. Also, he believes that the main reason why a lot of Christians are unable to handle pain is that they have been inculcated into the doctrine that having steadfast faith in God guarantees a happy, carefree life. He believes that this is firmly wrong and that looking at examples from the biblical martyrs and apostles, it appears our faith almost guarantees us some form of abuse from the world.

Furthermore, he states the adversity principle, which is that without adversity, no soul properly matures, giving examples of people like Stephen Hawking, who were able to grow strong and achieve all that they could achieve despite their disabilities, some of them even claiming that the disabilities and the challenges they have faced, as a result, have made them strong enough to achieve the things that they were able to achieve.

Another thing that he notes, is that if just being a Christian was all one needed to live a perfect life, then the entire basis of God’s relationship with man would be undermined as people would seek friendship with Him to gain the benefits, rather than responding with a heart of repentance and love and that the most greedy of humans would be the first to draw to the Lord.

Again, he notes that we should not neglect the fact that sin can play a key factor in causing us the pain that we suffer. According to the author, it is not that God sits in heaven and determines to abuse those that makes mistake, but that He forbade certain behaviour because He knew that it would ultimately destroy its victims. He states examples of sexual sins and the chronic diseases that have killed millions around the world as a result.

Finally, the author states that we should not forget the transitory nature of life. If we remember that after this temporary life comes permanent rest in heaven, then life’s frustrations would not be so frustrating. He also states though the pain could be terrible here on earth, we must never forget that soon we will be reunited with the Lord in heaven when our tears will be removed forever.

Some points I noted in the book are:

· God is present and involved in our lives even when He seems deaf or in an extended leave of silence.

· God’s timing is perfect, even when He appears catastrophically late.

· For reasons that are impossible to explain, we human beings are incredibly precious to God.

· If we were given all that we wanted here on earth, our hearts would settle for this world rather than the next.

· The lord doesn’t always solve our problems instantaneously, and He sometimes permits us to walk through the valley of the shadow of death. Eventually, we’ll all take that journey. But He is there with us even in the darkest hours, and we can never escape His encompassing love.

I would definitely recommend this book, not only for those suffering through hardship but to all people here on earth. There is a wealth of knowledge to be tapped from the book and it would go a long way in increasing your knowledge of the ways and the principles of the Lord, and why certain things here on earth are the way that they are. But the author says and is clear in stating that He is not out to get a cohesive answer to the problems of the world with his book, for no one can know the ways of the Lord.

4.      PROBLOGGER BY DARREN ROWSE AND CHRIS GARRETT

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This is a book written by two bloggers on how one can be able to prosper and commercialise the art of blogging. It focuses on blogging as a career path and not just as a hobby and gives various tips on how to get an audience, how to generate multiple streams of income through blogging, how to manage a community, and how to cooperate with other bloggers and so on. It is a splendid book for all that are hoping to get into blogging and I would recommend doing so as well as going on the blog ‘Problogger’ to get even more tips on blogging.

So what about you? What personal growth books did you study last month?